Scorching hot: Tobe Nwobu leads Camden Catholic boys basketball to upset of No. 2 Eastside
CAMDEN – Tobe Nwobu was grabbing a drink of water from the Gatorade bucket at halftime when a Camden Catholic High School boys’ basketball coach casually offered words of encouragement as he walked by.
“You’re getting good looks,” the coach said. “Keep shooting.”
Nwobu listened.
The sophomore guard went off for 27 points, including 19 in the second half, as the Irish, No. 4 in the latest South Jersey Mean 15 rankings, knocked off No. 2 Eastside 68-56 on Tuesday.
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“It felt amazing,” Nwobu said of his blistering final 16 minutes. “It felt more amazing to win.”
Nwobu entered the game scorching hot, averaging 22.7 points over his previous six outings, including a career-best 35 in a victory over Paul VI on Jan. 10.
He didn’t have much heat in the opening half against the Tigers though, draining just two field goals and scoring eight total points as he battled foul trouble.
“You just want to win so bad because Eastside was ranked so highly in the state and South Jersey,” Nwobu said. “You just want to win so bad.”
However, Nwobu has earned the “green light” from head coach Matt Crawford, particularly of late.
“Pretty much any time he wants (he can shoot),” Crawford said. “We trust him.”
His teammates have been constantly telling him to be aggressive the past few weeks, and hearing his coach do the same at halftime against Eastside reminded him of that.
“(They’re) telling me nobody can guard me,” Nwobu said. “That’s one of the best things a teammate can do, push you and tell you you can do it. It gets in your head and you can do better from that.”
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Nwobu buried an early triple in the third quarter, and then hit a jumper in the lane with 6:34 left to give his squad a 33-32 advantage. The Irish wouldn’t relinquish it.
Nwobu had 15 points in the period on 5-of-5 shooting, including a trio of triples and a pair of free throws.
His and-1 bucket to begin the fourth gave Camden Catholic a 49-42 lead. Eastside was never within two possessions again.
“He’s riding a confidence level that’s very, very high,” head coach Matt Crawford said. “The rim seems like the size of the ocean sometimes. Anytime he shoots it, the ball’s going in.”
More important to Nwobu though was the outcome.
“It pushes us confidence wise,” Nwobu said. “We know we can compete with anybody.”
Game notes
Fellow sophomore Luke Kennevan was clutch in the second half too as he had 13 of his 23 points after the break, including nine in the fourth quarter.He was even more valuable on the glass in the final eight minutes.Eastside dominated the boards, but Kennevan got five big ones in the final period, which helped put the game away.“He’s kind of undersized playing forwards and centers, but he fights hard,” Crawford said of Kennevan, who finished with 11 rebounds. “He’s kind of like a guard on offense and a big guy on defense. He has the ability to do both.”
Unsung hero of the game: Camden Catholic sophomore Sean Welde.The Cherry Hill East transfer was playing in his first game of the season after sitting 30 days per NJSIAA rules. He was big in the fourth quarter before fouling out, knocking down all four of his free throw attempts and had a huge block on Eastside’s Rashee Bell as the Tigers were trying to make a run.“I was so impressed,” Kennevan said. “He was fearless. This being his first game this year, he could’ve been scared, nervous, he was fearless, going after every loose ball, playing hard.”Welde finished with 5 points, 3 blocks and 3 rebounds off the bench.“He’s a tough kid,” Crawford said. “He actually got hit in the nose the other day, was bleeding pretty bad, just to be out there shows his toughness. He gives us a big presence inside and we think the future’s bright for him.”
Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano was in attendance, getting a look at Eastside linebacker Will Love.The junior showed his athleticism and toughness on the hardwood as he posted 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Schiano might want to check out the fourth-quarter film when Love blocked one off the backboard after chasing the play down from behind.
Rashee Bell led Eastside with 20 points.
It’s a credit to the Tigers’ relentless defense and effort that while the game never got closer than nine points in the final two minutes, it felt like they were a play away from tying it. They had the Irish on their heels with their work on the boards and pressure on the ball.
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They said it
“We all knew we could win this game, but we had to prove it to South Jersey, to the state that we could compete with anybody.”
– Camden Catholic’s Luke Kennevan
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Camden Catholic boys basketball upsets second-ranked Eastside
